1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of communication systems, and in particular, to providing geographic directions to a destination using a mobile wireless communication device based on data read from an object.
2. Statement of the Problem
People carry cellular phones, Personal Communications Service (PCS) phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), and other portable devices on a daily basis. These portable devices hold information that people access frequently. For instance, cell phones can store a list of names, addresses, and numbers that a person can refer to. PDAs provide a variety of features such as an address book, a calendar, and an electronic note book. These portable devices can be handy when people travel locally and over long distances.
Although a cell phone and PDA may be able to store an address of an entity, such as a restaurant, hotel, or an office building, a person may not know how to get to that address. An address in a large city such as New York or Chicago may be difficult to find, especially for travelers. Unfortunately, cell phones and PDAs have not been effectively adapted to provide directions to a person so that the person can find their way to the destination address.
Systems currently exist that are able to provide directions. For instance, the MapQuest web site allows a person to enter a starting location and a destination. MapQuest provides suggested directions from the starting location to the destination. A person that has a portable computer with a wireless modem can access the MapQuest web site from remote locations to get directions to a destination. Unfortunately, the person has to know the name of the destination, the address of the destination, and other information specific to the destination in order to receive the service. The person also has to manually enter the destination information which may be time consuming and prone to error. The person also has to carry a portable computer, which is much larger and more cumbersome than a cell phone or a PDA.
Another system that provides directions to people is OnStar. Some vehicles are equipped with an OnStar communication system. From a vehicle, a person is able to access the OnStar control center to ask for directions to a destination. The OnStar communication system in the vehicle determines the location of the vehicle via satellite signals. The OnStar communication system in the vehicle then transmits the location of the vehicle to the OnStar control center. The OnStar control center determines the location of the destination in relation to the location of the vehicle and transmits a signal to the vehicle with directions to the destination. There are other systems that function similarly to OnStar. Unfortunately, the person has to be in the vehicle to access the OnStar service. Also, the person may have to know the name of the destination, the address of the destination, and other information specific to the destination in order to receive the service.
Some portable devices are equipped with scanners for scanning bar codes, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,086 ('086), which avoids the hassle of manually entering data. '086 describes a telephone that is equipped with a bar code scanner. Using the telephone, a person can scan an advertisement in a magazine to capture transaction information. The transaction information could be a telephone number for the advertising entity or information about an advertised product. The telephone can automatically initiate a transaction using the transaction information. '086 unfortunately does not teach providing directions to a user so that the user can find their way to a destination.